In winter the heating is on full blast. It may be pleasantly warm in your home, but that heating dries out the air. A too dry living room climate is unhealthy for us, our pets and plants, but this is also not favorable for a natural product such as wood. During a prolonged period of freezing cold or with an alternation of rain and freezing cold, the relative humidity can be very low. A healthy relative humidity is 50 to 60 percent. Now this is low, sometimes barely 30 percent.

A natural product such as wood can shrink and expand. This is kept to a minimum at a constant relative humidity of around 50. This way you prevent cracks in your wooden furniture.

Hints
• Hang water bowls on the heater
• Soap your furniture more often now, light oiling is also allowed more often
• Ventilate your house sufficiently
• Leave the bathroom door ajar after showering

You can also purchase a hygrometer to constantly measure the humidity.

If you have already discovered cracks in your wooden furniture, follow the tips above and calmly wait for the period of freezing cold. Usually, the cracks disappear on their own when the humidity is back up.